


A little like love

by Dreamying



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Friends to Lovers, M/M, Sushi eating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-17
Updated: 2018-05-17
Packaged: 2019-05-07 10:41:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14669415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamying/pseuds/Dreamying
Summary: Junmyeon had said the three words many time and one time he made sure Kyungsoo heard it right.





	A little like love

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: R3-12 
> 
> A big thank you to the mods for giving me all the extensions, and B,E, N for being there for me. To the prompter, I have notorious name for make fics angst, but I tried to keep it as fluffy as I can. And another BIG thank you to my beta For for going through my mess and helping me improve this story further. Bless her.

 

“Myeon, I made some food, and it's loaded in fridge. Heat it up and   _eat_ . It only takes _ten mins_!!” Kyungsoo shouts from the doorway, pushing his sock-clad foot into one of his shoes. He was sure the lazy lord would eat a cup of ramen or skip the dinner entirely.

 

Crossing his arms over his chest, now two feet fully covered in some nice shoes, he waits, tapping his foot impatiently on the hardwood floor, narrowed eyes focusing on the lying lump on the couch.

 

“Aye Mom, love you, take care, bye,” comes the response once his roommate slash best friend slash laziest man on the whole planet (according to Kyungsoo, no official studies done yet)  notices the eerie silence from the hallway except the instrumental music from the tv speakers as the anime girl says something for the boy, and then she starts to cry. Cue the sad violin. Kyungsoo can never understand the 'Beauty of anime,’ as the other says.

 

Pursing his lips, Kyungsoo shakes his head before closing the door behind himself. Checking his watch, he hurries downstairs where a car is already waiting for him.

 

Chanyeol greets him with a wide smile before enveloping him in a hug, patting on his back a few times.

 

Kyungsoo chances a last look at the window of the 3rd floor, 5th window, before sliding into the passenger seat.

 

“I found this new place with Korean Mexican fusion food--” Chanyeol starts talking about the place they are going for a dinner date, and Kyungsoo drowns the rest. He likes Japanese food better, but he can try something new once in a while.

 

.

 

.

 

Something rustles his sheets, something cold touching his ankle, and Junmyeon wakes up from his not so deep slumber. He knows what this is. “Soo,” he groans, hand blindly searching for the lamp on bedside table. Sure, like always, Kyungsoo creeps into his bed. “Are you drunk?” he asks, taking in his disheveled state and mushed up hair.

 

“Am not!! You are.” Cue drunken giggles, like Christmas bells, bringing warmth in cold winters.

 

“Sure I am!”

 

Junmyeon gets off the bed and tries to pull a very persistent Kyungsoo off the bed, before dragging them both into the washroom.

 

Undoing the buttons one by one with shaky hands, he helps Kyungsoo to take off his jacket and sweater, leaving on the v-necked t-shirt underneath it. The tight skinny jeans hug his legs perfectly, curved in all right angles. Swallowing, Junmyeon averts his gaze away, messing with the cap of toothpaste. The slightest mint scents hits his nose, like Kyungsoo's breath, sometimes.

 

“Here, first brush your teeth.” He offers a toothbrush after running it under the faucet. It stays in hand as Kyungsoo is busy leaning against the counter and fighting with the gravity that seems to have no rules with a drunk person, his eyes lidded and face flushed all the way to the neck and disappearing underneath the neck line.

 

“Open up,” he says with a sigh. Giving up on expecting any sort of cooperation before pushing the brush into Kyungsoo's open mouth and rubbing the soft brussels all around the the teeth line, himself. Once done, he fills a cup with water to help Kyungsoo to clean off the foam. A smile breaks out as Kyungsoo gurgles sleepily, with water running down his lips. He is messy. And cute. Such a cute mess.

 

“Why do you drink so much?” he mumbles, biting his smile back. Drunk Kyungsoo smiles with his hands reaching out to pull Junmyeon's face and squish his cheeks _. “-ow”_

 

“It's no use talking to you now, is it?” Scrunching his nose, Junmyeon pulls his face back. His cheeks hurt from getting pinched between nimble fingers.

 

It's no use taking Kyungsoo to his own room when drunk Kyungsoo wants company and a body to cuddle till the morning. From past experience, when Junmyeon tried and failed, he doesn't waste any more energy by doing the same. He ends up dragging a wanting to sleep in bathroom Kyungsoo to bed on wobbly legs, with his entire  weight leaned on him.

 

It's a long night with Kyungsoo persistent over pulling Junmyeon towards himself and hiding his face in the neck, mumbling incoherent nonsense or just humming a song he had heard somewhere. The silence of night had never been this loud with his heart racing faster than train to Busan, and the warmth sweeping through their tangled limbs. At times like these  it's such a sweet torture, having a close best friend, but also having feeling for the the said best friend for years.

 

.

.

 

“Why doesn't your boyfriend take care of your drunk ass?” Junmyeon asks the next morning. He stirs the contents of the soup once again, scrolling the phone page and checking the step-by-step, Granny's kitchen, blog page.

 

The lump lying on the couch only groans in place of an answer.

 

The soup boils with small bubbles.  Turning off the heat, Junmyeon grabs a bowl from the cupboard.

 

“That smells nice,” Kyungsoo mumbles, sniffing the air when nudged, throwing his hands up in air, and wiggling his fingers.

 

Junmyeon helps by pulling his hand and helping him sit up.  

 

“Feed me. I feel like ’m dying,” Kyungsoo says without opening his eyes, mouth wide open.

 

Junmyeon rolls his eyes. Hangover Kyungsoo is always a dramatic bitch, with diva-like demands of a diva.  “Yah, you brat, I’m not your butler,” he scolds trying to push the tray in his lap, but Kyungsoo is already leaning all over him with his head resting on his shoulder, and his hand playing with the hem of Junmyeon's t-shirt.

 

Junmyeon sighs, stirring the soup contents with spoon and bringing it to his puckered lips to blow some air to cool it down.

 

“Eat.”

 

Kyungsoo very obediently opens his mouth and bites the spoon in the process of slurping the warm liquid. “Mmm… Heaven,” he says opening his mouth for seconds, making a kissy face, and asking for some more.

 

“When is your boyfriend marrying your ass? I don't want to do these babysitting mother jobs.” Junmyeon dutifully offers another spoonful.

 

“Never,” Kyungsoo answers, not a hint of playfulness in it.

 

Junmyeon waits for some more to be added on, but nothing comes out of those rosey lips, a tongue busy licking them.

 

“You been dating him for how long? Two years?” It's likely that Junmyeon knows their anniversary date better than Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo doesn't even remember Junmyeon--his _best friend's_ \--birthday much less an anniversary which they don’t even seem to celebrate. Chanyeol seems to be an easy going guy, and treats… or from what he had seen, treats him nicely.

 

“It's complicated, let's not talk about it,” Kyungsoo says, sitting straight. “And tell me, why aren't _you_ dating anyone?”

 

“Not interested, _” except in you_. He opts for a nonchalant answer. He did try to date few people when Kyungsoo started dating Chanyeol, but his heart was too hung up on the certain someone  sitting right beside him. The weight of Kyungsoo's gone from his shoulder and the warmth too.

 

“Such a waste of good looks and youth, Gramps.” Kyungsoo's  eyes are now wide open and staring back at Junmyeon's, his expression unreadable. He is the first one to tear his eyes away.

 

Junmyeon pushes the tray into his lap and stands up. “Feed yourself since you seem fine,” he says, making his way to his room.

 

“ _If you messed up my kitchen, you better fix it or you are going to starve-”_ The voice is rather loud coming from a hungover person. Circling around the couch, Junmyeon groans rather loudly and returns to the kitchen to clean the mess he made in the process of cooking the hangover soup. Admittedly, Kyungsoo is the better cook between the two of them. Junmyeon is good at making soups and little something from time to time using recipes snatched from some very detailed food blogs with pictures of every step, while Kyungsoo can go and mess up Ramsey if he wants to.

 

Kyungsoo turns around to give him a smile and thumbs up before going back to eating the soup. He is sure that it doesn't taste half as good as Kyungsoo is making it with sounds of lips smacking while moaning like those extravagant cooking show anchor’s fake moans over  some below average shitty looking dish.

 

***

 

“But it's _our_ Saturday night!” Kyungsoo stomps around his room.

 

While Junmyeon rakes through his wardrobe, finding a shirt, trying it on, undoing the buttons half way and pulling it over his head to throw somewhere on the bed, then doing the same with another and another. “The meeting is important!” he shouts, pulling on the same blue shirt from 10 mins ago.

 

Kyungsoo shakes his head. “Take the white one and thank me later!” he says jutting his chin towards the floor where an abandoned shirt lay, crying sadly over its sad life.

 

“See I told ya!” Kyungsoo stands at the entrance, tongue peeking over his lower lip, eyes concentrated on fixing Junmyeon’s tie. Junmyeon is hopeless with crooked ties, looking all sorts of unsophisticated.  “So handsome!” He says, with hands still on the white shirt cladded chest.

 

They stand smiling stupidly at each other for few seconds till Junmyeon's phone alarm goes off. “I’m gonna be late,” he says, hurriedly shuffling off to lookfor his lucky shoes.  

 

“Bye, Soo. Love you,” Junmyeon shouts over his shoulder running to the elevator. He runs back to take the offered bag from Kyungsoo’s extended hand, with a breathless thank you, what will I do without you.

 

“Stupid,” Kyungsoo mutters more to himself, but the smile doesn't leave his lips.

 

***

 

“So… you are saying you are going to Japan,” Kyungsoo asks, amused.

 

Junmyeon nods. They are having their usual Sunday night dinner at the restaurant Kyungsoo chose.

 

Putting down his cutlery, Kyungsoo wipes his hands on the napkin. He pulls out his phone, types something furiously, then the screen is turned over. “That’s 1013 kms away from me!!” he says incredulously. “How am I supposed to live without you~~” He rolls the last word, putting a little whine into it, and batting his lashes for bonus points.

 

Junmyeon suppress the urge to snort in the middle of cutting through his steak. He shrugs when Kyungsoo still looks at him for an answer.

 

“Well.. this is it? We are breaking up?” Scrunching his nose, Kyungsoo resumes to poke the fork around in his plate, picking up a piece of salmon. The persistent pout stays on his lips.

 

“Don't be dramatic now. We can still keep in touch,” Junmyeonhe jokes playfully about Kyungsoo's dramatic antics of breaking up and flicks the pout away.

 

“Keeping in touch isn't same Myeonnie. Can’t you study and work here? In South Korea?”

 

“It will be nice to do it in Japan,” he confirms, beckoning for the waiter to refill their wine glasses.

 

Kyungsoo just huffs looking around and stuffing his mouth with more salmon to keep it occupied.

  
  


***

 

If you ask Kyungsoo, the days are on running marathon with one another. It was two months for Junmyeon to fly when he last checked, and suddenly it's today, and he is somehow is driving them both to airport.

 

“Did you pack everything you needed?” Kyungsoo asks, not turning eyes from the highway.

 

“That’s the 10th time you’ve asked me this.” Junmyeon turns to give him a look.

 

“Making sure grandpa didn't forget anything,” Kyungsoo sticks out his tongue, wincing when a hand sneaks in  to pinch his side.

 

“Hey!! Don't get us killed now will you?!!” That makes the hand retreat quickly.

 

***

 

“Kimchi? Seriously?” Kyungsoo gives him a look.

 

Junmyeon laughs sheepishly, trying to snatch the packet from Kyungsoo, who held it high up in the air by standing on his toes, displaying it to everyone around. “Stop embarrassing me” he whines when Kyungsoo still doesn't let him take the bag.

 

“That's what best friends do, Dumbo.” Kyungsoo flicks Junmyeon’s forehead once, before handing back the packet filled with red kimchi. It's a good thing Kyungsoo asked the other to show him the bag, since he had seen the way Junmyeon packing for even going for a vacation in Busan for three days, and now it's Japan. It only gets worse. His lucky shoes have started to smell funny from the food. Grimacing Kyungsoo takes away all the food packets before airport security checks and hauls his ass out for making everything smell funny.

 

“I will miss you, Soo.” Junmyeon gives him a warm hug one last time before disappearing behind the gates. Kyungsoo choses to not stay till the end or he knows he will break down in tears before Junmyeon does making those ugly crying faces.

 

“Miss you already,” he whispers in the car, driving back to his now empty home. All of Junmyeon’s mangas from the bookshelf sans a few that he knows Kyungsoo likes to skim through are gone. Junmyeon’s many pairs of shoes are gone. No more socks all over the place. The living room actually looks like living room for once due to the lack of a person spreading his art sheets everywhere.

 

***

 

“I heard you need a roommate.” Baekhyun wiggles his eyebrows, rolling his swivel chair into Kyungsoo’s cubicle. It's already his second chair. At this rate it won't last much longer either. Poor office chairs don't deserve this sort of fate.

 

“Not you,” Kyungsoo says without turning his face from the monitor. Baekhyun, his little annoying officemate, when he isn't annoying actively, he is an okay companion to talk nonsense in between the working hours, to grab a lunch with, and to catch a glimpse of brewing office rumours. But Kyungsoo isn't actively seeking some disturbance 24/7. Nope, sharing a place with Baekhyun ain't happening.

 

“Why? You don't want to share your boyfriend's old room with me?” Baekhyun pouts, coming even closer, grabbing Kyungsoo’s hand casually, and fiddling with his blunt fingernails.

 

Kyungsoo has to blink a few times before he swallows. “I never told you  that he was my boyfriend.” Baekhyun does come up with some absurd ideas from time to time, but this one is wild. Junmyeon as his boyfriend, whateven? But curiosity wins over making it clear that they aren't boyfriends.

 

“You  didn't?” Baekhyun looks lost in thought, probably recalling the memory of their introduction from a couple of years ago.  “But I _know_ he is,” he says and starts ticking off fingers one by one with free hand. “He visited you several times, took you to lunch, and you guys had your own sweet-little-newly in love-whipped phase going on. Nothing can be hidden from my third eye,” he finishes with a wink and fist, canting his head to a side, probably trying to read Kyungsoo’s face.

 

Kyungsoo hums, taking his hands away, and shoving the chair out of his personal space.

 

“So do I get the Honor of being your roommate?” Baekhyun half yells while trying to drag his chair back. He stops when Kyungsoo shoots him a look and scoots back to his own cubicle. Far away from Kyungsoo, as he had requested once.

 

.

 

.

 

“Why is Kyungsoo moping in the corner?” Jongdae walks over with his plate filled to the brim with whatever he could stuff from the office cafeteria buffet. He looks between Sehun and Baekhyun. His eyes light up when he sees Minseok planting himself in the next chair.

 

“Junmyeon went to Japan,” Minseok supplies to the new comer, accepting the piece of meat silently slipped onto his plate with a smile of his own.

 

Kyungsoo, who was busy checking his phone, places it on the table with a sigh. It's been a week, and he hasn’t heard anything from Junmyeon, and he is worried to the core.  Opening his lunch box attracts a lot of curious eyes and chopsticks ready to steal something. The first one to steal something is always Baekhyun, who’s sitting right in front of him, eyes fixed on the first box.

 

“Are we sure it's really Do Kyungsoo?” Baekhyun says, chewing open mouthed. “He didn't say anything.” He demonstrates his stunt by sneaking another piece of chicken from the second box.

 

Oh Sehun joins in now in the stealing game.

 

Kyungsoo puffs his cheeks, sending them both a glare and pulling his boxes closer to him.

 

“Being away from your boyfriend does that to one, I guess,” Minseok chirps in. “I hope I never have to experience that,” he adds, shooting heart eyes to his not-crush crush Jongdae the Bae.

 

Choking on his delicious chicken, Kyungsoo stares now at Minseok, trying to regulate his breathing, with glossy eyes as tears start rolling down.

 

“Yeah, I don't think I want to be away from my loved ones either.” Jongdae is quick to jump at the chance to shoot heart eyes right back at  Minseok.

 

“Y’all, I am single here, and Sehun is too, so please spare us from lovely dovely chat, will ya?” Baekhyun chirps, and Sehun nods vigorously besides him, a spoon hangs from his mouth, settles between thin lips pressed together.

 

Kyungsoo opens his mouth to say something or tell them Junmyeon is not his boyfriend. But it's too late, they have moved on to another argument, at the end settling to peacefully talk about the party this weekend at Minho's place for the promotion he got. Next maybe it's his turn, according to Baekhyun.

 

Sehun asks Kyungsoo if he’s coming. He shakes his head as a no, at first thinking of their Saturday night movie marathon, then stops midway when his mind supplies that he is living alone now. “Maybe,” he says in the end.

 

***

 

The silence of his empty apartment is louder than Baekhyun and Jongdae's over-excited shrieks. The place looks so odd and foreign compared to the time when it was filled with two persons.

 

This feels... lonely, to put it simply. Oddly lonely.

 

The phone buzzes in his pocket, his eyes lit up, taking in the new number on the phone screen. “Myeonnie!!” he squeals excitedly and drops his ass onto the couch to get comfortable. It’s going to be a long call.  First, he gets excited, then starts to nag about not contacting him for over a week, and finally gets worried over his well-being. When everything has been talked about, the conversation drifts towards Kyungsoo's life. “They think we are boyfriends.” Kyungsoo laughs, recalling Baekhyun's exact words. “Baekhyun said having a bubble or something.”

 

The other end goes silent. “Hey, you there?” Kyungsoo asks, worried that he was met with silencewith the silence he met with instead of the laugh  he expected, that he might have offended the other.

 

“Oh nothing. I just have to go. I will call you next week.”

 

The line drops. Met with silence once again, Kyungsoo mulls over the thought that Junmyeon didn't like it. Maybe it wasn't funny. Maybe sharing it was a bad idea.

 

And there wasn't the usual 'love you Soo, take care,’ either, he realises before closing his eyes to sleep the nagging feeling.

  
  


***

 

“I miss your food.” One day Junmyeon calls out of nowhere, and the first thing he talks about is food.

 

“Then, come get some,” Kyungsoo jokes. He can almost hear the other pouting, and then some noises in the background of people talking in Japanese. Soon it fades into white noise. “I bet you are eating something yummy as you lie,” he says when the chewing noise grows too loud for his liking. Junmyeon is such a messy eater, and he eats too fast, not enjoying the food slowly to its fullest, despite Kyungsoo nagging him many times to eat slow. He should have recorded Junmyeon’s face when he dragged him to a eight course Japanese dinner on one of their usual Sunday dinner night outs. Junmyeon kept whining about wasting three precious hours of time which he could have spent sleeping. Cue Kyungsoo rolling his eyes.

 

“It's good, and a lot healthier, but I miss our red, spicy, aggressively seasoned yukgaejang. I’m eating ramen, by the way,” Junmyeon says slurping some soup and noodles.

 

“So you are not missing my food, just general typical Korean cuisine, it seems huh?” Kyungsoo sets his laptop aside, taking his glasses off next.

 

“No, I miss your food!!”

 

“Not me then?” he eyes the clock. It’s already dinner time. Making his way to the kitchen he checks the cupboards. Ramen sounds good enough.

 

“You too.”

 

He presses the speaker button and sets the phone on kitchen counter. When the water boils, he drops in the lump of noodles, emptying the tastemakers next, and an egg on top. “I’m having ramen for dinner too.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Cooking for one is boring,” he mumbles, sandwiching the phone between his shoulder and neck and taking the hot pot back to his work space.

 

Their talk drift to where Kyungsoo starts to give him few tips over how to make some of the dishes they both enjoy. They finish dinner together and say good night just as Junmyeon reaches his place. Kyungsoo closes the laptop lid deciding not to work anymore.

 

“Love you, Soo. Good night. Sleep well,” Junmyeon says sleepily, ending the call.

 

***

 

Saying he’s having a bad day is an understatement. Kyungsoo officially ended his non-existent relationship with Chanyeol. He vaguely recalls the last time they felt like they were into each other and had sex being around nine months ago. They both have seen it coming, but still it leaves the effect of a break-up. No hard feelings, just a little pinch to his heart.

 

He has three options: The first one would be going to nightclubs and having a rough one night stand, risking getting some STDs or the guy being some psycho who comes back wanting another fuck or kidnap him to sell his organs to black-market. The second doesn't involve the above risks but drinking till his liver gives up sure doesn't sound pleasant.

The third and less messy option is eating ice cream while watching sappy movies. Those three are famous, post-break-up antics, but Kyungsoo isn't one for running after trends so he settles for making a big, nice dinner for himself. He got some delicious looking beef on sale. The vegetables are fresh and nice, and it's been so long since he made _aggressively seasoned_ 'yukgaejang’. Maybe he can snap a pic and make Junmyeon drool. That thought alone makes him giggle.

 

Belly filled with food, he settles into his bed, checking the time Junmyeon comes home. Pressing the call button, he waits for the other to pick up as it starts ringing.

 

“How are you Myeonnie?” he asks.

 

“I met someone,” Junmyeon says in place of greeting.

 

“Oh,” he offers, for lack of a better response.

 

Junmyeon excitedly tells him about a Chinese exchange student. How  they literally ran into each other while running from opposite directions to get to class on time, helping each other to pick up the fallen books and papers, which lead them to skip the classes all together for the day. All those cliche, Korean, romantic movie plot prior they get in trouble caused by their families or something, the first part, the happy, sappy, lovely-dovely part.

 

“Nice,” he offers in the end. Feeling too tired to keep the conversation going, Kyungsoo excuses himself blaming the busy tiresome day. Without a fail comes the ‘love you Soo.' He smiles but feels his face muscles being strained. He should be happy for his best friend, who’s finally breaking through his drought of any love life, but he can't bring himself to feel anything. Maybe his break up with Chanyeol did leave a little more than a pinch, he reasons.

 

***

  
  


“Get dressed looser, we going out!” Kyungsoo announces, going through his wardrobe. Wearing nothing , a towel loosely hanging from his hips.

 

“We are far away. Where can we go?” Junmyeon groans at his loud voice booming through the speaker.

 

“Accept the facetime and show me your handsome face honey~~” He pulls on a black t-shirt and places the phone on bed, popping against a pillow. The screen loads with Junmyeon sleepily rubbing his eye. He must have been having an early nap. Sleeping prince. Lazy, sleeping prince.

 

“We got the promotion!!” He does his stupid mosquito dance with hands, breaking into a giggling fit half way.

 

“ _YOU_ got the promotion!!” Junmyeon too shouts, shooting out of the bed and squealing. They have  been talking about the possible promotion for quite a while, since even before he decided to study in Japan. “Baekhyun must really have a third eye, ask him for my exam results will you?”

 

“Third eye my ass. He had good intuition. Who else was going to get it other than hardworking me, huh?” Kyungsoo does a wink and plops on the bed with face close to the screen, eyes twinkling. “And for you, Mr. Perfect student-san, you will get your A+.” He laughs, wiggling his hips to stuff  himself into skinny jeans. Fuck, his thighs got thicker from all the take-outs with extra grease. “Let's go out, you have a sushi place near you right? Get there in 40 and call me.”

 

.

.

 

“I thought we were celebrating,” Junmyeon scrunches his nose at Kyungsoo's outfit.

 

“They didn't had _No All Black Allowed_ , in all judgy caps lock, unlike a certain someone.” Kyungsoo practically whines,” and what's wrong with all black?” He can sense the waiter refraining himself from giving  a weird look to the phone perched against the flower pot. He doesn't care, what matters most is having a celebration dinner together.

 

“You look good in black” Junmyeon says, opening the menu.

 

Kyungsoo smiles, opening his own menu. “Myeonnie they have fruit sushi as dessert, what do you think?”

 

“Well, I don't have them here, you can try if you want.”

 

It doesn't take a minute for Kyungsoo to groan and start complaining about wanting to try the whole menu but too bad, Junmyeon is on the other side of the screen, and the food would go to waste.“I  think I will go with spider rolls,” he says. “And salmon tataki, tempura, and unagi.”

 

“Unagi rolls?” Junmyeon asks, looking at him over the menu.

 

“No, the one where they put the grilled eel on top of rice with teriyaki sauce,” Kyungsoo clarifies.

 

“Unagi nigiri,” Junmyeon corrects. “ Japanese people loves their eel so much that government once them under red list.”

 

“Hmmm.. it's so delicious, no wonder.”

 

“And I wonder why you never cooked it at home?” Kyungsoo can cook almost any dish. Even the simplest stir fry is better than what his mom makes. But he never ate anything with eel made by Kyungsoo.

 

“I can't cook with eel. It looks like a snake,” Kyungsoo shrieks just imagining the fish. “But it's good when others cook it for me.”

 

“Stupid, it's the same thing.” Junmyeon smiles, shaking his head.

 

“Let's call it unagi. Don’t call it eel. I get reminded of the live fish.”

 

“Salmon skin roll,” Junmyeon says making his voice flat, and pointing a finger gun to his head.

 

“Friends!” They both burst out laughing. The rest of the dinner goes smooth, enjoying the delicious sushi and ignoring everyone that sends a weird look at them. As the night progressesages, Kyungsoo gets  tipsy on chilled sake. Despite most people not recommending sushi and sake together, it’s a good combo. Junmyeon refrains from drinking anything due to his early morning classes.

  
  


***

 

“You bastard!” Kyungsoo glares at the monitor typing furiously into the chat box as the  ending credits roll.

 

Junmyeon had found an app where they can watch movies together and talk or chat at the same time. After watching _Garden of Words_ last time, it's _Your Name_ this time .

 

“Why aren’t you talking?” Junmyeon's voice comes a beat later along with the sound of rustling of sheets. “Are you crying?”

 

“NO!” Kyungsooquick deniesdeny.. With one hand, covering his nose, he sniffs silently. He had turned off his voice chat in the middle of movie when it got too sad for his liking, but the _want_ to know what happens next kept him going.

 

“You _are_ crying. Such a _baby_ ,” the voice coos.

 

Kyungsoo wants to slam the laptop shut, but his nose is running non-stop, so he shoves some tissue up his nose instead.

 

A Skype call request comes. Kyungsoo clicks the answer button after making sure he doesn't look like he bawled his eyes out at a funeral for the past 40 minutes.

 

Junmyeon breaks into a laughing fit. “To be honest, I didn't think it would be that sad, but did you like it?”

 

“Tell me they are going to fall in love and make cute babies. Well only if they want some babies, but if not, it's fine too. Just tell me they will love each other!!” Kyungsoo demands taking a sip of his now lukewarm soda to clear his squeaky voice and dry throat.

 

“Kyungsoo--” Junmyeon’s eyes get tender. “They have been in love all this while,” he says holding his gaze, the eye contact a little too intimate.

 

Something passes through those beautiful eyes. Kyungsoo swallows, nodding slowly. “Yeah, they are,” he adds after a minute of silence drags. “The art looks breathtakingly beautiful. It leaves me with the same feelings as that 5 centimetre something.”

 

“It's _5 Centimeters per Second_ , and what feeling?” Junmyeon asks.

 

Kyungsoo waves off at Junmyeon's smug face as he stars reminding him of the names he doesn't bother to remember. He already gets to watch and understand without subs, and here Kyungsoo's stuck with having to read and watch at the same time, “Hmm... Like, in _Your Name,_ it's leaving us to imagine what happens next. Same as in _5 Centimeter,_ the guy walks into the sunset for a new beginning. Both having a nostalgic love holding them from moving on. One set of protagonists have clear memories to hold on to but decide to finally let them go, and the other set are looking for somewaysomething to remember those memories... So, you get what I mean?” He looks up and  stops moving his hands.

 

“You say you don't want to watch them but start to analysis those movies. Such a liar.” Junmyeon laughs softly, with a hint of teasing.

 

“That's because I have to read the subs,” Kyungsoo reasons, pouting. “Maybe you should teach me Japanese so we can watch without subs.”

 

“Makoto Shinkai’s works are like that, they leave you with this feeling,” Junmyeon says rolling over the bed and setting his laptop on the nightstand. “Tell me. Why didn't you get a roommate?” Junmyeon asks suddenly, craning his neck to look through the monitor into their once shared space.

 

“I didn't feel the need to?” Kyungsoo offers weakly, playing with fingers and averting his gaze from the screen as Junmyeon pulls off his shirt and throws it on bed.

 

“Rent is expensive, and you could have saved some by having one,” Junmyeon presses, pushing back his newly-colored, soft pink hair, that got ruffled by pulling on a fluffy baby blue sweater.  Kyungsoo went jack shit crazy when Junmyeon had snapped him a picture of the pastel pink hair right after he left the salon. It suits him. Kyungsoo tried wine red once. It left his scalp fried, never again.

 

“I can cover it. After breaking up with Chanyeol and then the promotion full of workload, everything was overwhelming. I don't need a roommate on top...” He trails off, almost wanting to bit his tongue. He hadn't told Junmyeon about the breakup _yet,_ and it's been _months_ even if he counts from the time he got promoted.

 

Shaking his head, Junmyeon says,“You never told me.” His voice is laced with disappointment.

 

“It's nothing. It didn't feel like breakup at all,” Kyungsoo supplies, jutting his lower lip.

 

“Stop pouting, you sneaky bitch. You know very well your pout makes me weak,” Junmyeon grumbles without any actual venom behind the words. “Are you okay? It must have been months if it's before your promotion, but still….”

 

Kyungsoo giggles over the look of frustration. It’s hilarious, Junmyeon looks almost constipated when he makes any other expression than smiling. “Don't fret over it. I don't think I ever loved him, and he felt the same way. We parted on good terms like mature people.” True, it was a mutual understanding and they talked thoroughly before making the decision.

 

They hang up after a little more playful bickering. Junmyeon goes out with his roommate, and Kyungsoo...pulls up a pizza delivery place’s number on his phone.

 

An hour later, the pizza with extra cheese almost gone, and he taps a message on his phone to get some answers to what's been been bugging him for months.

 

The phone rings.

 

“Hey Chanyeol.”

 

***

 

Finally, fucking finally, Jongdae and Minseok got together after throwing away the “no office romance rule.” Baekhyun started datingto go out on  dates with some tall dude whom he can't shut up about till all their ears bleed. That left Kyungsoo and Sehun. They tried to hold hands but cringed so hard and laughed it off with a hug. Kyungsoo considered asking Sehun to be his roommate. He is quiet and doesn't have the need to talk non-stop unless it's initiated by the other party. He would be the perfect roommate, except he might probably eat more than half of what Kyungsoo cooks. Those shoulders and ass don’t come out of nowhere and neither do those mile-long, stick legs.

  
  


“Bye, Hunnie.” Kyungsoo waves him off, since they were the last ones left after stuffing everyone into the cabs with their right address written on sticky notes even before the dinner and drinks started. It was Sehun’s idea, born from suffering after first few times trying to make the drunk idiots spill their addresses and without any success,suffering on streets till the early mornings  hours with a terrible hangover.

 

The cab’s racing on the streets of Seoul, when his phone goes off.

 

“Hey,” Kyungsoo says, mind jittery with alcohol running in his system.

 

“Kyungsoo,” Junmyeon whispers.

 

Kyungsoo hums. It’s odd. Junmyeon usually sticks to the early evening hours so as to not disturb their sleep schedules, but he doesn't question it with his buzzed mind.

 

“I broke up with Kris.”

 

“What? When?” His droopy eyes shoot up. “Was he bad to you? Wait, lemme book a ticket to kick his ass in person.” Kyungsoo's fuming with the little anger he could muster up in his drunk state of mind.

 

“Couple weeks ago, and no, he is good, sweet,” Junmyeon says, his voice soft without any strain.

 

“Okay,” Kyungsoo breaths, adjusting himself in the seat. The street lights blink in distance as the cab takes another turn before stopping right in front of his building. “Stay on line,” he says, getting few dollars out of his pocket and paying off the cab.

 

“Are you okay?” He asks pressing three once he is in the elevator.

 

“Never been better.”

 

The elevator dings, and its doors open. With a  few strides, he reaches his door. “Do you want me to fly to you? I have few unused leaves. I can come next weekend,” he offers, squinting at the number pad, and entering the key blindly.

There is silence for few seconds. “I don't think that's a good idea.”

 

Pursing his lips, Kyungsoo pads over to the fridge to pull a bottle of water out. His throat feels dry, and he really wants to be sober for at least few more minutes.

 

“Kyungsoo?”

 

Gulping down the water, he sets the bottle on kitchen top. Its sides wet with condensation. He hums.

 

“Nothing.”

 

“Is it nothing nothing or nothing?” Kyungsoo smiles at the chuckle that comes as expected.

 

“Go to sleep it must be late.”

 

“It's the same time here as it's for you, dummy,” he says checking the wall clock. It’s almost 3:00 a.m. on Saturday night or since it’s past 12:00 p.m., more like Sunday morning.

 

“Why were you out so late?” Junmyeon asks. When they lived together Kyungsoo never went out on Saturday nights, opting to stay inside watching movies with whatever finger food they had in the pantry.

 

“Remember Jongdae? He finally confessed to Minseok and spared us all from watching them being all over each other yet not officially dating. They are still all over each other but with a relationship status.” He collapses on his bed, trying to drag the sock of one foot with the big toe of the other.

 

“They were dragging it for how long, two years? I’m happy for them.”

 

“Sure you are. You made a bet with me, and money is coming your way.” Kyungsoo gives up with a huff, dragging his ass across the mattress, pulls the socks off his feet, wiggling the freed toes. And the smelly socks means he has to wash his hands and brush his teeth, maybe wash up since he is doing everything and making world peace happen anyway.

 

“You remember!!”

 

“Aaah it involves money. I thought those idiots would drag it out till Christmas, and maybe I could buy something with the money I would get from you.” Standing up, he stretches his limbs over his head. He feels light headed but not completely drunk. He hadn't had as many drinks as he used to have back then, since there isn't anyone to nurse his headaches, or make warm, hangover soups. “And tell me, why are you up so late now?”

 

“I couldn't sleep so I went jogging and saw you online so...” he draws out the rest. True, Kyungsoo had been checking if his co-workers got home safely or not.

 

“Good night, Soo,” Junmyeon says, making the call come to an abrupt end.

 

Kyungsoo waits. Waits for the usual love you, he checks the screen  pulling it away from his ear and hurriedly pressing it back. “You didn't tell me you love me today,” he says playfully, Without the love you at the end, it feels lacking. _He_ feels lacking.

 

“You know I love you right?”

 

“No, you don't tell me enough.” Kyungsoo giggles, squeezing some toothpaste on his brush before running it under water.

 

“No, Kyungsoo, _I love you_.”

 

Junmyeon takes a few seconds to answer but when it comes so void of any playfulness, Kyungsoo’s grip loosens on the brush handle, dropping it in the sink, with paste smeared.

 

“Myeonnie-”

 

The call drops.

 

***

 

“You bastard, you can't just say ‘I love you’ and drop the call on me!!” Kyungsoo tightens his grip.

 

Junmyeon nearly chokes, tapping the  arm around his neck, signalling Kyungsoo to let go of the choke  hold.

 

Kyungsoo drops his hands quickly before grabbing Junmyeon's face between both palms, eyes searching for the damage he might have caused, mumbling am sorry, a couple more times.

 

“I thought I would say it out once and be done. I’ve been holding these feelings for too long,” Junmyeon confesses once they’re seated in one of the small restaurants near his campus.

 

Kyungsoo may or may not have flown to Tokyo's national university, and found Junmyeon in the library after asking whoever he came across and showing their selca on his phone screen. Those few broken Japanese words he learned on his flight were handy, too.

 

“Are we going through a school-crush-stage where we run after confessing?” Kyungsoo says taking Junmyeon's hand between his and sliding his fingers in the gap.

 

“It's dumb,” Junmyeon says, eyes glued to the table but not taking his hand back.

 

“So, loving me is dumb?” Kyungsoo asks disbelievingly, with a hand placed on his chest in mock hurt.

 

“No, it's the c-crush that's dumb. All these years with this one-sided love. I t-thought you would be mad at me…” Junmyeon explains, stuttering and flushing deep-red half way. He shoots Kyungsoo a look when his smile starts to get bigger.

 

“Do I look mad to you?”

 

Another quick glance.

 

“No, but there was the possibility. I couldn't be sure of anything. You never tell me anything. I ran all the way to Japan, stupid enough to think I can be without you, but...

 

“Wait, you tried to--” Kyungsoo interrupts, but stops asking as Junmyeon gives him a let-me-finish look.

 

“But I couldn't last a week without you. In the end, I turned back to you, tail tucked between my legs. That’s how much power you have over me.”

 

Kyungsoo's smile drops as his facial expression changes into something unreadable. Junmyeon takes a sip of water using his free hand. It's all too much to unfold all at once, he isn't sure how Kyungsoo would take it, the cat is out of the bag anyway, nothing more to be ruined. Or maybe there is. Kyungsoo could splash a glass of water on his face and make a dramatic exit with the restaurant's music playing a sad melody as a wet Junmyeon sat there. He would lose their friendship too with his stupid confession.

 

“Myeonnie.” Kyungsoo stares at him, his gaze tender. “We have been friends for so long,” he says. Instantly, Junmyeon's face drops, and his fingers slowly slide down, but Kyungsoo catches them hurriedly. “This distance helped me realise that I see you as more than a friend. I like you, maybe it’s not love yet, but I do have feelings for you. I want to try giving us a chance,” He motions between both of them. “ Junmyeon and Kyungsoo, not the best friends, just you and I ?”

 

“I’m just out of a break up,” Junmyeon reminds him. “I didn't love him, but I did care for him. We broke up because he knows I don’t… or like he said, I won't ever love him, and I should clear up my unresolved feelings.” His eyes start to glaze over. “I thought I would move on this time. Guess I was wrong.”

 

“I understand. Maybe when you come back home?” Kyungsoo squeezes their linked hands once before letting go. He gets off his seat to go sit beside Junmyeon, giving his shoulder a little nudge. Junmyeon offers him a weak smile and a small nod.

 

A nod. That's enough for now. They can work on it.

 

They give their order when the waiter comes after seemingly waiting for them to stop holding hands. They order something Junmyeon recommends, take a small tour around the campus, then go to Junmyeon's room. His roommate was kind enough to let Kyungsoo stay with them without a fuss.

 

.

.

 

“So much for taking it slow.” Kyungsoo snorts before kissing Junmyeon back, squeaking when a hand pinches his sides.

 

“Shut up, we aren't going to see each other for a few months,” Junmyeon groans, pulling him closer. “Why did you break to with Chanyeol? You never told me,” Junmyeon asks, hands still wrapped around Kyungsoo’s waist.

 

“Let's just say he would be great friends with Kris,” Kyungsoo says laughing afterwards. He had seen Kris,not physically but in photos Junmyeon shared with him. Kris waswould be about Chanyeol's height, making them look like twin towers. “We were the only fools, I guess,” he adds.

 

Like Kyungsoo said, airports are made by satan himself, taking people apart from their loved ones, which is basically hell. Now he have to fly back to South Korea and wait for Junmyeon to return.

 

***

 

“Why is he smiling like that? It's creeping me out,” Baekhyun whispers conspiratorially to Jongdae who is too busy arranging his desk with his first anniversary picture frame with Minseok. He used to jump in surprise when Baekhyun would silently pop up beside him in that stupid chair with wheels. Not anymore. He’s used to his antics.

 

“Junmyeon is coming back,” he says and kicks Baekhyun's chair away as he’s about to shout something. It comes as the spinning chair squeaks sliding across the floor.

 

“.....party.”

 

***

**Author's Note:**

> I added some of real facts about Myeon's messy eating habits, the 8 course Japanese dinner of susoo, Myeon saying ksoo's stir fried are better than his mom's(don't tell his mom). 
> 
> Does anyone like his pink hair as much as me? 
> 
> Thanks for reading, have a good day.


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